11:35 a.m. ET: When yesterday passed without a ruling on Alex Rodriguez’s 211-game suspension, the assumption was that we likely wouldn’t hear anything from arbitrator Fredric Horowitz until Monday at the earliest. As Ronald Blum of the Associated Press hears, that might not necessarily be the case:

People familiar with the case told The Associated Press on Friday that arbitrator Fredric Horowitz could issue his decision this weekend. The people spoke on condition of anonymity because no statements were authorized.

So, basically, a ruling could come down this weekend. Or it might not. Fun times.

While Steven Marcus of New York Newsday also hears that a decision from Horowitz is imminent, he adds the following interesting nugget:

Rodriguez has previously vowed to fight any suspension from MLB in federal court, but he could face long odds to have his case heard or walk away vindicated. With that in mind, Wallace Matthews of ESPN New York reported Thursday that he has discussed the possibility of accepting a reduced suspension (less than 100 games) to put the matter behind him. However, if Horowitz sides with MLB and upholds the suspension in-full or close to it, the fight figures to continue.

Rodriguez, 38, is under contract for $25 million in 2014. With a pursuit of Masahiro Tanaka underway, the Yankees would obviously appreciate some clarity on the situation as they attempt to keep their payroll under the much-discussed $189 million threshold.

Buchholz, 33, was acquired by the Phillies from the Red Sox in December 2016, but he made only two starts before an MRI revealed he had a partial tear of his right flexor pronator mass. He underwent surgery in April and missed the rest of the season.